Most useful router bit

[Derrick]

I have purchased the PC 693 kit over the internet and now I need to start on my bit collection. I am anxious to use it when it arrives so I was wondering what should be the 1st bit. Thanks

[Doug Jones]

I would think it all depends on what you want to do. If all you want to do is play around with it,,,, then a round over bit or maybe an ogee bit. If you have a specific use in mind for you first trial, then we can;t answer which bit.

But what ever the purpose is, enjoy it and be mindful of the dangers of it.

[Derrick]

No specific uses yet. I am planning on using the router for dado's and rabbeting mostly (at least for now). Right now, I plan on playing until I get use to it. I will probably end up mounting the fixed base in the BT for dado's and shaping and use the plunge for T&Ms. I just don't want to invest in a bit I will rarely use, at least at first. I am thinking about the spiral upcut bit that I have read about on this site. Just want to buy a good general purpose bit for practicing that I will still need it in the future. I am wanting some advice about the most used bit in your shop and what size. I am probably going to end up buying bits one at a time as needed for specific jobs because I am not to interested in buying cheap bits that I will not be happy with later. Some of the bits I have been looking at will probably have me sleeping on the couch if I bought more than on at at time though. So I better get it right the 1st time

[Pappy]

Go for one of the 15 or 30 piece sets from Blades n Bits, Holbren, or MLCS. there are also special bits for cutting dados for plywood.

[monte]

If you're planning on using it for dados and rabbets I would look at the dado set that BnB or Holbren have. Fairly inexpensive and they are a good set.

https://holbren.com/product_info.php...0e8a3ca083f619

[germdoc]

I would second that about the BnB 30-bit set. I was quite impressed with the quality of the pieces.

For plywood dadoes you may want to get a special 23/32" bit--got mine from Lee Valley, whose green carbide bits are reasonably priced.

[LarryG]

And I'll heartily third the suggestion for the BnB 30pc set, or one similar. The bits in these budget sets aren't perfect, but they're not bad by any standard of measure, and for the money they are an absolute bargain. The modest cost of one of these sets is well worth it just for the opportunity to play around with a lot of different profiles and figure out which ones you use the most, and therefore which ones merit the larger investment in a quality bit.

One thing to realize and accept early on, however: router bits are consumables. They wear out, sometimes startlingly fast if you're using them to cut dense hardwoods or MDF. That, incidentally, is yet another reason one of the budget sets makes sense: if you're building a fixture for the shop and need to round over an edge, a cheapie bit will generally work just fine, allowing you to reserve your expen$ive Whitesides and CMTs and Amanas for the heirloom stuff.

[Jim-Iowa]

I think Pappy has the right idea.
You won`t really know, what the different bits will do till you try it for a while. So buying a GOOD set will get you started.
I tried to buy the cheaper Highspeed bits and threw my money away They don`t hold an edge long at all, and can make a mess of things.
I have been buying Amanna Bits(they are good), mostly because that is the brand carried in our local hardware store.

I really beieve there are about 6 bits that will do most things.
The rest are nice to have though.
First would be a rabbitting bit with an assortment of bearings, I use that more than any other. Secondly The 1/8" & 1/4" roundovers, followed by a chamfering bit(one of my favorites, a personal idiosyncracy SP). I bought a set of trim bits, to help my brother with a cabinet refurb, but have yet to use them. I don`t mind because, I know I will.
I have put a stop to buying bits for a while.
Due to the fact that my routers will only use 1/4" shank bits.
Once I get a Router that will take 1/2" bits I will buy more.

[LarryG]

Couple-few more thoughts:

I agree that you generally don't want to buy expensive bits in sets, because the set may include profiles you won't use often, if at all, and often the price break vs buying the same brand of bits individually is not that good.

But I say "generally" because some sets DO make sense. I have Whiteside's four-piece roundover/beading set, which includes this oft-used profile in 1/4", 3/8", 1/2", and 3/4" radii. Those are all useful to me and buying them in a set saved me a few bucks.

Note that the above applies to expensive sets. Inexpensive sets are different. Another justification for starting with a budget set is that you will end up with some profiles in your arsenal that are useful now and then, but not to the point you could ever justify laying out the big bucks for a name-brand bit.

Some manufacturers have more than one line. The cheaper line will be of comparable quality (if not identical) to the bits that come in the budget sets, so buying those bits individually is NOT good value unless you catch them on sale at a deep discount.

Speaking of sales, Hartville Tool has the full line of Whiteside bits (which are as good as router bits get) on sale for 20% off thru the end of July. Also, Woodcraft frequently puts selected profiles of their green-painted house-brand bits on sale for $5 each. At their regular prices of $15-20 these bits aren't that great a buy, but at five bucks a pop, they're a steal.

Summing up, there is most definitely room in your bit collection for both budget bits and for high-quality bits. Generally speaking you should buy the budget bits in sets, the quality bits individually, and in both cases, try to catch them on sale.

[LCHIEN]

Buying a router and then getting one bit for it is kind of like getting a CD player and then getting just one CD to play on it.
It's a very verstile tool but a single bit limits the versatility.

There was a discussion and a article in Wood magazine about the 6 bits a starting woodworker should have but I couldn't find the thread.

My list would be something like a 1/4" straight bit, a 3/8" rabbeting bit w/bearing
a 1/4" roundover, a 1/2" roundover, a chamfer bit, and a 1/2" flush trim bottom bearing bit, and a 1/2" cove bit.

Like you said, you shouldn't cut corners but buy a decent quality
carbide bit. And if your router takes 1/2" shanks, by all means get those, they're better and safer.

For the price of a big handful of individual bits (will cost $7-15 averaging about $10 each), I in all my accumlated wisdom would buy a 15-piece bit set
http://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shops...s/set25yr.html
from www.mlscwoodworking.com. At $40, It's gonna be a little but not a lot more than 6 individual bits, be boxed, and the same quality, free shipping and great service.
Get their free instruction booklet
http://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shops...2/mlcstech.pdf
I'm not affiliated with MLCS except as a customer, but I will
say this is the best way to get started with a router. You can do a lot of joinery and a lot of decorative edge work and a lot of experimeting with these.
Actually I would spend the $100 and get the 30-piece set but I can understand that is getting to be an investment. I haven't used every bit of my 30-piece set but I've more than got my money's worth out of it.

[Tundra_Man]

By far my most used bits: flush trim bits, both top and bottom mounted bearings.

2nd most used bits: roundovers 1/8" through 1/2".

3rd most used bits: straight cutters; most often the 1/4".

But then again, I've been deviating from "traditional" woodworking for the last year or so.

[BrazosJake]

I think TundraMan's got my faves there. I might add a 45-degree chamfer.

A nice, long flush trim can be your best friend, you can use it to trim to final dimensions, edge-joint (for boards over 6' I prefer to edge joint this way than on my jointer).

I would get a book or video on routers, read and heed all safety info. A router is an incredibly versatile tool, but like all WW power tools, very unforgiving of careless use. I'm a regular on a wood bow-building forum and just last week, two separate members posted how they had just gotten jointers and were now missing fingers (both were trying to feed too-thin stock across the cutterhead).

[Rounder]

I am going to share my adventure in router bits with you. Hopefully it will either be good advice, or a warning of what not to do. Let me also say that I believe that if you can get a deal on something go for it, even it it leaves you with duplicates.

I will jump on the bandwagon about the 30 piece set. I got that first from MLCS. Then I added their plywood dado set. Only then did I invest in an expensive single bit. I added two spiral cut carbide bits (1/2" and 1/4".) Then I picked up a bit every time Woodcraft had them for $5.00 to have some disposable bits. When Blades n Bits had their dented box sale, I added another 30 piece set as there were different bits in it, than the MLCS set.

Now I am looking at getting two spiral cut flush trim bits (one with the bearing on top and one with it on the bottom.) Since I am also starting to do some inlaying I am looking at smaller straight bits for that.

I have two sets of Craftsman 1/4" shank 10 piece sets that I got for free from various sales Sears has had. One of these days I am going to put them on E-bay.

[Hoover]

Infinity Tools put together the 6 piece essential router bit set.



38-190 is a 1/8" radius roundover bit
38-754 is a 1/4" radius roundover bit
00-555 is a rabbet combo bit w/7 bearings
36-920 is a 45 degree chamfer bit
11-628 is a 1/2" straight bit 1" long carbide
06-627 is a 1/2" flushtrim downcut bit

linky: http://www.infinitytools.com/prodinf...item=2&mitem=5

You should try to buy as many of your router bits as possible in 1/2" as the shank has 4 times the area of a 1/4" shank.

[Derrick]

Thanks guys.. You have helped alot. Now I know to try and get the 12" shanks and where to get some decent quality bits. I will looking out for some sets in the places you have suggested.. Man, there is alot of bits to choose from. It can pretty confusing for a newbie like me. I just wasn't sure I wanted to try to use a tool spinning at 25000+ rpms with a cheap piece of metal sticking out of the end of it. Come to think of it, it might be safer than LOML if I don't quit buying tools. Thanks again..